Method op making valve stems



s 6,1927. Re. 16.130

I A. w. LlMONT METHOD OF MAKING VALVE STEMS Original Filed Aug. 23.

Reissued Sept. 6, 1927.

ALEXANDER W. LIMONT, 0F BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

METHOD OF MAKING VALVE STEMS.

Original No. 1,446,469, dated February 27, 1923, Serial No. 494,520, filed August 23, 1921. Application for reissue filed August 25, 1924. Serial No. 734,131.

My present invention refers to an improved method of manufacturing pneumatic tire valve stems, bodies or casings, as they are sometimes called and it especially relates to a method of producing drawn sheet metal shells.

The purpose of the invention is to lessen the cost of manufacturing valve stems of this class, by materially reducing the amount of scrap produced in manufacturing, and by reducing the amount of stock required from which to form such a valve stem and particularly to produce a lighter and stronger valve stem at less cost. I Further, I propose to employ a series of operations which may be uniformly and accurately followed by automatic machinery whereby the essential structural features of standard makes and sizes of valve stems may be produced, and whereby the required struc tural features of valve stemsof this character, made necessary to permit of the interchangeability of such A further object is to provide a method of forming valve stems from drawn shells, having an elongated cylindrical side wall open at one endand closed at the other, whereby notonly the required form of opening through the stem 'form a head of the closed end of the shell, and to include flat side portions on the body by means other than milling, as is now customary. V

\Vith these and other minor objects in view, the invention resides and consists in the novel method of forming an article of manufacture of the above character as will be later more specifically described in the specification and set out in the claims hereto annexed. Upon the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification similar characters of reference will be seen to denote like ,or corresponding parts throughout the several figures and of which r Fig. '1 shows a side elevation and: an end view respectively, of-a relatively long form of shell such as may bereadily drawn, from metal.

Fig.2 illustrates the same shell after the closed end portion has been operated upon to reduce and lengthen the shell. Fig. 3 shows a further side view and an end view respectively, of the shell illustratsuch stems from parts are provided for. I

may be produced, but towithin the reduced port-ion of second operation wheremy. improved method and illustrating a removable check valve positioned therein and, Fig. 7 shows a cross section of the shell, illustrating a modification.

The illustrations just referred to are designed to represent the preferred method or operations:employed in the production of a valve-stem of this type but it will be obvious that slight variations may be-resorted to if necessary, the essential features of the invention being the production of a commercial series of operations which include the reduction of certain portions of the cylindrical body of the shell whereby the same is elongated and shaped andadapted to be threaded; and inthe further features of forming the head on the bottom end portion of the shell, said head being of a double thickness of stock and of a diameter greater than that of the diameter of the body of the finished stem.

In the drawings 10 represents an elongated shell including a cylindrical body portion 11 of substantially uniform thickness and diameter, said shell being open at one end 12 and closed upon the other end 13 as is commonly the case with shells formed of sheet stock by a series of drawing operations. This shell thus constitutes the blank from which the valve-stem is formed and according to my improved method is first operated upon in a way to reduce the closed end portion 14 of the .shell leaving the remainder of the body portion unchanged. As indicated, this operation reduces the size, of that portion of the longitudinal hole or pocket 15 the shell and also forms an annular shoulder 16 thereon.

While itis not material as to the exact order of all the operations, yet as illustrated in the drawings I prefer to next form the type of valve-stem from a drawn shell, by a opposite flat side portions 17 by a drawing operation so as to preferably leave the shell in the shape indicated in end view, in Fig. 3 having its wall throughout of uniform thickness. The shell may next be placed in suitable dies and the closed end portion operated upon to form the flat head 18 as shown in Fig. 4 in a way to retain the diameter and complete the shape of the neck portion 19, as shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6. r

If the valve stem is to be fitted with the common commercial type of valve shown in Fig. 6, I may employ an internal support 20 as shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, having holes therethrough, and position it inside of the shell prior to the operation of closing the open end portion, so that it will form a proper support for the shoe 21 in which the valve stem 22 is slidably mounted as indicated in Fig. 6. This shoe may be held in position in any preferred way, as for instance by being forced into the shell against an internal annular shoulder 20 prior' to the closing operation, as shown in'Fig. 4.

After I reduce the open end the shell I preferably form an inner annular shoulder 23 which is employed as a valve seat against which the valve 24 positioned to close the stem. This valve seat is formed by a drilling and reaming operation. This end portion of the stem is next tapped to receive the nut 25 that supports the valve stem 22 and valve in the respective operative positions. This valve and its attached parts may thus be positioned in the chamber of the stem in a manner to allow air to be forced therethrough and so as to check and hold the same from escaping. A thread 26 is also cut on the surface of the end to ac commodate an inclosure cap 27. The opposite or head end of the shell is next reamed out to form the hole 28 which serves to complete the passage through the valve stem so as to allow air to readily pass therethrough. The thread 29 upon the cylindrical peripheral surface of the body of the stem may be next formed .to complete the valve stem, said thread as is customary in valve-stein designs of this sort, being employed to accommodate nuts, not shown, that engage a wheel rim and clamp the valve stem in position therein.

The cross-sectional view of the valve-stem shown in Fig. 7 illustrates a modification which in this construction shows a circular passage and flat sides which latter may be milled or otherwise formed.

What I claim is:

1. The herein described method of forming valve-stems from sheet metal shells which consists in reducing the diameter and elongating a portion of the shell, forming a. head on one end portion of the shell, forming opposite flat sides, reducing the other end portion of the shell and threading the portion of v the formation of inside and the outside of said reduced end portion, and drilling out the head end of the stem to complete the opening therethrough.

2. The herein described method of forming valve-stems from sheet metal shells closed at one end which consists in reducing the diameter of the closed end portion of the shell, forming a head and neck of said reduced end portion, forming opposite flat sides, reducing the open end portion to form a valve seat and chamber, and finally in drilling out the closed head portion to complete the passage through the stem.

3. The herein described method of forming valve-stems from sheet metal shells which consists in reducing the diameter and elongating a portion of the shell, forming a head on the said reduced portion ofthe shell, then drawing opposite fiat sides on the body of the stem and svvedging the opposite endportion'of the shell and threading the inside and the outside of said reduced end portion.

l. The herein described method of forming a valve-stem from a sheet metal shell closed at one end which consists in reducing the diameter of the closed end portion of the shell, next upsetting a part only of said reduced end to form a head and neck,-then drawing opposite flat side portions on the body of the shell, forming a valve seat and chamber in the open end portion of the shell, and drilling out the closed head portion to complete a passage through the stem.

5.' The herein described method of forming valve stems from sheet metal shells closed at one end which consists in reducing and elongating a portion of the shell, and in forming an internal annular shoulder therein, portion of said shell and reaming a hole in said head portion, forming a. valve seat and chamber in the open end portion of the shell, and drilling out the closed head portion to complete a passage through the stem.

6. The herein described method of forming valve stems from sheet metal shells which consists in reducing and elongating a portion of the shell, and in forming an internal annular shoulder therein, positioning a valve support on said shoulder, forming a head and neck of one end portion of the shell, and in reaming a hole therethrough and reducing the open end portion to form a valve seat and chamber, and in flattening the opposite sides of the body of the shell, and in threading the remaining cylindrical surface of the body.

7 The herein described method of forming valve stems from a hollow drawn metal body, which consists in reducing a portion of the body, in further reducing an end portion of said body to provide the neck of the stem, in then shaping a portion of'said body forming a head on the closed end to provide the head of the stem, and reducing the opposite end of said body and threading the inside and outside of said last mentioned reduced portion.

8. The method of forming valve stems from a hollow drawn metal body, which con-' sists in reducing the diameter. of a portion of the body, and shaping a portion extending from a point spaced from the shoulder formed by said reduced portion to the extremity of the body to form the head of ,the'stem, the reduced portion between the head and said shoulder forming a neck.

9. The method of forming valve stems y from a hollow drawn metal body of uniform diameter, and closed at one end, which consists in reducing a portion of thebody to form a neck, shaping the closed end of the body to provide the head of the stem, and forming an aperture through said head.

10. The 'method of forming valve stems from a hollowdrawn metal body of uniform diameter,

which consists in reducing one end portion of the body, and in shaping said reduced portion to provide the head of the I stem.

11. The method of making a tire valve stemwhich comprises drawing from a suitable blank a tubular shell, having a body portion of the size desired in the finished stem, provided with opposite flat sides and shaping a head on said stem.

12. The method of making a tire valve stem which comprises drawing a tubular shell from a suitable blank, reducing one end of the shell, drawing opposite flat sides upon the body portion of the shell and then forming a head upon one end.

13. The method of forming valve stems from sheet metal shells,which consists in reducing and elongating a portion otthe shell, drawing flat sides upon the unreduced portion of the shell, forming .an'interior shoulder therein and forming a head upon I one end of the shell.

14. The method of forming valve stems from sheet metal shells, which consistsin reducing and elongating a portion of the shell, forming an internal shoulder therein, form and shaping an .end

' thicker than the wall of the posite flat sides upon the body portion of.

the shell.

15. The method of forming valve stems or the like, vwhich comprises drawing from a suitable blank a tubular shell having opposite flat sides both internally and externally, forming a head upon one end of the shell and reducing and threading both interiorly and exteriorly the opposite end thereof. I

16. The method of making a valve stem or the like, which comprises drawing from a suitable blank a tubular shell, forming a head and reduced neck upon one end of the shell, introducing into the other end of the shell a cup shaped valve support snugly fitting the bore of the shell, and then reducing the last named end to form an upper neck to re'ceivea valve body. 7

17. The method of forming a valve stem" "from a hollow drawn metal body closed at one end, which consists in reducing in external diameter and cross-section a portion of the length of the body While the remainder of the blank is left of the original thickness, drawing flat sides on a portion of the body, of the body into a head thicker than the'wall' of the body.

18. The method of forming a valve stem .from a hollow drawn metal-body closed at one end, which consists in reducing in ex'ternal diameter and cross-section a portion of the-length of the body while the remainder of the blank is left of the original shape, drawing flat sides on a portion of the and shaping an end of the body into a head body.

19. The method of forming valve stems from' a hollow drawn metal body closed at one end, which consists in reducing and elongating a portion of the bodya'nd in shaping one end of the body into a head thicker than the main portion of the body.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 21st day of August, 1924.

ALEXANDER W. LIMONT.

body, 

